So you think this is just another day in your life? It’s not just another day. It is the one day that is given to you…today.
-Br. David Steindl-Rast
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8 Reasons the World Needs A Grateful Day
- It’s needed. People around the globe report increasing levels of stress. Studies show that not only does being grateful feel good and promote pro-social behavior, it is also good for our hearts, our relationships, our sleep and it reduces stress. Gratefulness is an antidote to the woes of the world.
- It’s quick. At just 5-minutes long, this video is a brief but effective tonic.
- It’s soothing. This short video stops us in our tracks and calms our nervous systems with gentle music and the voice of Benedictine monk, Br. David Steindl-Rast. It offers a gentle reminder to look around and notice the everyday gifts of our lives.
More reasons…
Practices and Questions for A Grateful Day
In considering tools for living gratefully, we have created a set of practices and questions to accompany and enrich your experience of A Grateful Day. We encourage you to watch the video, try these practices and reflect on the questions on your own, with family and friends or in a Grateful Gatherings group.
Discover the practices and questions…
More About A Grateful Day
In 2006, some friends arranged to have Br. David Steindl-Rast record a short meditation about gratefulness…the words that Br. David spontaneously offered that day were an exquisite outpouring of his heart. Read more…
Video Transcript
You think this is just
another day in your life?
It’s not just another day.
It’s the one day
that is given to you today.
It’s a gift.
It’s the only gift
that you have right now,
and the only
appropriate response
is gratefulness.
If you learn to respond
as if it were the first day
in your life
and the very last day,
then you will have spent
this day very well.
Begin by opening your eyes
and be surprised
that you have eyes you can open.
That incredible array of colors
that is constantly offered to us
for pure enjoyment.
Look at the sky.
We so rarely look at the sky.
We so rarely note
how different it is
from moment to moment
with clouds coming and going.
Open your eyes.
Look at that.
Look at the faces of people
whom you meet.
Each one has an incredible story
behind their face,
not only their own story,
but the story
of their ancestors.
All that life from generations
and from so many places
all over the world
flows together
and meets you here
like a life-giving water
if you only open your heart
and drink.
Open your heart
to the incredible gifts
that civilization gives to us.
You flip a switch,
and there is electric light.
You turn a faucet,
and there is warm water
and cold water,
and drinkable water.
It’s a gift that millions
and millions
in the world
will never experience.
And so I wish you
that you would open
your heart
to all these blessings
and let them flow through you,
that everyone
whom you will meet on this day
will be blessed by you,
just by your presence.
Let the gratefulness overflow
into blessing all around you.
And then it will really be
a good day.
